Atlanta Marketing AI Pulse Community

The 5th Marketing AI Pulse event brings together marketing professionals exploring how AI is transforming creativity, efficiency, and strategy. Follow the pulse on LinkedIn and Instagram, and be part of the AI movement shaping marketing.

AGENDA
Welcome to the front lines of AI transformation, where marketers are leading the charge. Today’s agenda features real-world insights from those turning AI into action across strategy, growth, and customer connection.

Training Workshop: An optional pre-event paid training workshop, "Build Your First AI Marketing Automation Using n8n," runs from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM at the same venue (includes lunch). If interested, you can see details and purchase a ticket here. Note: You don’t need to sign up for this pre-event workshop to attend the free main Marketing AI Pulse event.

1:00 PM – Doors Open: Pick Up Your Badge and Say Hello
Check in, grab your badge, and settle in. Attendees are welcome to arrive early and work from Atlanta Tech Park before the event begins. There’s ample space to plug in and get comfortable.

1:30 to 2:15 PM – Connect and Mingle: Networking at Its Best
Enjoy snacks, soft drinks, tea, and coffee while making meaningful connections with other attendees. Explore interactive booths featuring technologies and services relevant to modern marketers.

2:15 to 2:45 PM – Welcome: Marketing Leads AI Forward
By Aby Varma, Founder, Spark Novus and Marketing AI Pulse Community
The AI era isn’t waiting. Marketing isn’t following. This event is built around a bold truth: the future of AI in business is being shaped at the intersection of marketing, strategy, and leadership. As part of the welcome, we’ll spotlight a local ATL startup, Kiksasa, and hear from its cofounder and CEO Kelly Flynn. AI is speeding up marketing content generation, but it doesn't address the bottlenecks in collaborating on that content. Kiksasa is taking collaboration and communities to a new level, starting with the Marketing AI Pulse community.

2:45 to 3:15 PM – Panel: How Marketing Leaders Are Driving AI Across Sales, Growth, and Strategy
AI is becoming the engine of growth. In this panel, business leaders will share how marketing is not just adopting AI but driving it across sales, strategy, and enterprise transformation. We’ll explore what real implementation looks like, how to align teams around AI priorities, and what marketing leaders need to know to lead the charge. Whether you're scaling early experiments or shaping a company-wide roadmap, this conversation will ground you in what matters now.

• Jay Amburkar, Managing Director, Accenture
• Umesh Shiknis, EVP and Global Chief Growth Officer, Chief Sales Officer, and Global Head of Practices, Publicis Sapient
• Ali Flynn, Co-founder and Head of Sales, Improvado
• Matt Cyr, Founder, Loop AI (Moderator)

3:15 to 3:45 PM – Lead the Herd: What It Really Takes to Launch AI at Scale in Marketing (And Why Anyone Can Do It)
By Jessica Hreha, Director, AI Transformation Office, Jasper
AI transformation isn’t as much about tech as it is about people—and the way you lead them. This session pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to launch and scale AI inside a marketing organization, based on real-life wins, stumbles, and strategies. You’ll learn the HERDS framework—five types of people you’re leading through change—and how to move each one, from early enthusiasts to vocal skeptics. We’ll unpack the communications playbook that turned one marketing team’s AI rollout into a movement: how they built momentum before Day One, activated champions, and embedded AI into daily work.
No jargon. No hype. Just the messy, human side of change, and a clear, doable path to lead it. You’ll leave with the full launch communications playbook and the confidence to put it into action. Because this isn’t just for the tech-savvy few—it’s for anyone willing to step up and lead.

3:45 to 4:15 PM – Break + Booths + Conversation
Step away, grab a refreshment, visit interactive booths, and dive into relaxed, informal conversations with fellow attendees and speakers.

4:15 to 4:45 PM – Panel: Smarter Sends, Deeper Connections: AI’s Role in Transforming Email Marketing
As AI transforms how brands connect with audiences, email marketing is undergoing a profound evolution. This panel brings together email marketing, product, and education experts from Mailchimp to discuss the real-world impact of AI on email content, automation, optimization, ethics, and deliverability. Learn what’s working, what’s next, and how to stay human in a world of intelligent automation.

• Nicole Jayne, Senior Staff Product Manager, Intuit Mailchimp
• Jocelyn Hardy, Manager, Partner Readiness, Intuit Mailchimp
• Kristy McCarley, Founder and Managing Director, Pure Firefly

4:45 to 5:15 PM – Intentional Intelligence: How to Focus AI Efforts in Marketing Where They Matter Most
By Nicola Smith, Senior AI Programs Advisor, Southwest Airlines
AI is showing up in every corner of marketing, but real results are still hard to come by. While nearly 80% of brands say they're using AI, only a small percentage are seeing the business outcomes they expected. For marketers and agency leaders, the challenge isn't getting access to the tools—it’s knowing where and how to apply them in ways that truly matter. This session, Intentional Intelligence, offers a clear, practical approach to building AI strategies that actually deliver. We’ll look at why so many efforts fall short, what separates purposeful strategy from experimentation, and how to identify the opportunities where AI can drive measurable impact for brands. You’ll walk away with a new lens for aligning AI work with your business goals, uncovering high-value use cases, and bringing clarity to where AI belongs in your marketing roadmap.

5:15 to 5:30 PM – Reflections
Wrap-up and shout-outs. Final takeaways, gratitude, and reflections from the day.

5:30 to 6:30 PM – Happy Hour
Drinks, bites, and great company. Relax and connect over hors d’oeuvres and drinks while enjoying beats from DJ Nüro.

NOTE: All sessions and speakers are subject to change.